Willard Maurice Raymond (84) of Effingham, formerly of Assumption

Willard Maurice Raymond, 84, of Effingham, formerly of Assumption went to be with the Lord on Monday, December 30, 2013 at Lakeland Rehabilitation and Health Care Center in Effingham.

Funeral services will be Saturday, January 4 at 11am at Fame Church in rural Moweaqua. Visitation will be from 5-7pm Friday at Seitz Funeral Home in Assumption. Burial will be in Pleasant View Cemetery in Assumption. Donations may be made to Fame Church. Online condolences may be made at www.seitzfuneralhomes.com.

Willard, or Ray as he was known to his family and friends, was born July 12, 1929 in Reedsport, Oregon, the son of Clayton and Bessie Raymond. He married Evelyn Jean Morrison on December 14, 1952. She preceded him in death in March 2010.

Ray was a 1947 graduate of Reedsport High School. He served in the Air Force and then worked at Rand McNally in Decatur before purchasing the Prairie State Tribune in Assumption in May 1959. He later purchased the Moweaqua News and Macon News and eventually consolidated them into one publication, the Golden Prairie News. He sold the business and retired in May 2011.